Zimbabwean Opposition Petition High Court to Extend Polling Days

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, March 11, 2002

Zimbabwean Opposition Petition High Court to Extend Polling Days

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Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) Sunday petitioned the High Court to extend the voting days after the government rebuffed its pleas for polling extension following a two-day weekend presidential election.

The High Court was expected to rule on the MDC petition later on Sunday.

Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa said earlier that an extension of voting to Monday and Tuesday was unnecessary, offering instead to keep polling stations to remain open as long as there were still people in queues to vote.

But the MDC, whose leader Morgan Tsvangirai is the main challenger of incumbent President Robert Mugabe in the poll, accused the government of planning to rig the election by preventing MDC supporters in its urban strongholds from voting.

Election officials have reported a high voter turnout in the poll, in both urban and rural areas, with queues at some polling stations stretching for kilometers.

Zimbabwe has more than 5.6 million registered voters who will vote at the 4,712 polling stations spread throughout the country.

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